PatM

I have had the stimulator for 2 years now. VNS is used in conjunction with medication. doctors will suggest its use when they run out of different medication therapies to reduce or stop your seizures. about 40% of people with vns implants report "some" success in the reduction of seizure activity. about 30% report
total seizure control and the other 30% report no difference at all in their seizure activity. many people do not know it is more than just a pace maker. the implant is positioned a few inches under your left collar bone on top of your rib cage. users are given a small magnet to keep with them. if an user should experience an aura they can take the magnet and swipe it accross the vns implant and this will activate the stimulator for whole minute, usually at a higher electrical impulse. the problem with this is the nature of an aura. "when" i experience an aura i am usually confused and find it difficult to think of activating the implant with my magnet. i have made it easier by attaching a magnet to my watch so i dont have to look for the damn thing in a pocket. friends and family that can see you are having a seizure are encouraged to use a magnet to activate the implant. besides the magnet i have attached to my watch i keep one in my living area for others to use and also one next to my bed. it also works as a pacemaker too. i started with a setting of 30 seconds of impulse every 5 minutes. i go to my neuro about every 6 weeks to have it adjusted. thats right adjusted. he has a lap top computer with a wand attached to a long cable. you sit on the table and place the wand over the vns implant. he then brings up the information on your vns units settings. the vns unit also keeps a log of how many times you have swiped the magnet accross the vns unit. he will adjust the settings and then you see him again in 6 weeks. right now my vns unit will stimulate my nerve for 21 seconds then it will stop for 60 seconds and then it repeats. btw the nerve that it stimulates is located next to your vocal cords. durring the 21 seconds when it stimulates i can barely talk. my left arm twitches durring the 21 seconds and my bodies muscles will contract. when i swipe the magnet i can not talk and usually will violently cough for the whole minute. the battery life on the new units are 8 - 12 years. that is about all i can tell you. if you are trying to decide between brain surgery and the vns implant, go with the vns implant. you can have it removed if it does not work. brain surgery is a different story. for more info, try cyberonics.com